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Focus

This term we are focusing our affective work on what it means to care for ourselves, to know about ourselves, to value what is important to us, to value other people, to know the people around us and to care for and value our environment and resources. This ties in nicely with mental edge work on caring thinking.

Albert Einstein Quotes Generator


We are starting each day with inspirational stories and poems and are looking at how they relate to us in our lives.

Week one

Inspirational Poem

Always Create Your Own Dreams and Live Life to the Fullest
If you take the time to think about what you want in life….. Get to know yourself Find out who you are Choose your goals carefully Be honest with yourself Always believe in yourself Find many interests and pursue them Find out what is important to you Find out what you are good at Don’t be afraid to make mistakes Work hard to achieve successes When things are not going right Don’t give up – just try harder Give yourself freedom to try out new things Laugh and have a good time Open yourself up to love Take part in the beauty of nature Be appreciative of all that you have Help those less fortunate than you Work toward peace in the world Live life to the fullest Create your own dreams and follow them until they are a reality
Susan Polis Schultz

Unfortunately I was sick for some of this week but the reliever kept well to the plan and notified me that she was very impressed with the discussion the kids had around dreams and goals.
After discussing the poem, we read a story about a NZ boy, a photographer, who shot his first wedding at the age of 13 (see the article below). We talked about values and the discussion then went on to be about valuing people and valuing dreams and then moved onto talking about how values change as we grow older. We didn’t mean to go in that direction but as always, it went in a way I didn’t dream of. I then got the kids to write or draw about their own dreams – what would they like to do in the future, who could they aspire to, what might help them achieve this, etc.They discussed people who may have influenced them in their own lives and why they might aspire to them.

Teen Spirit - Jayson Kingsbeer

Autumn Issue: March 2011

Jayson Kingsbeer

Last year, Gisborne-based Jayson Kingsbeer spent 21 of his weekends taking wedding photos. He shot his first wedding at the age of 13.

Jayson credits his parents for encouraging his early interest in photography. He also had the advantage of growing up in the digital age, which meant he could play and experiment without wasting a lot of film.

When he was 12 years old he won a local photography competition and began to think of how to make the increasingly expensive hobby pay.

His parents loaned him the money for a professional camera (he has paid them back), and continue to ferry him to weddings and professional shoots, as he is yet to get his driver’s licence. “I know it’s been a big call for my parents. They’ve been incredibly supportive all the way through.”

Jayson’s first wedding job came through a family contact. He thoroughly enjoyed capturing each part of the wedding ceremony and it was enough to motivate him to set up a website, work out a price schedule, and advertise his services. He found setting prices difficult. “If I was too cheap, people would think I was iffy, but if I priced myself at the same rate as an adult, then I’d be passed over due my age.”

Tama and Natalie Tawhai heard about Jayson’s services from Natalie’s mother, who had seen him in action at another wedding.

“I was initially worried about his age,” Natalie confesses, “but he listened to what we wanted, contributed his own creative ideas, and was professional at every step of the journey.”

Prior to the wedding the couple told their guests that their photographer was a little younger than the norm. “We thought guests might have thought he was just a family member taking shots. Warning people in advance meant they listened to him and gave him the respect due a wedding photographer.”

Jayson is planning to continue with his photography business after he leaves school, seeing this time of his life as a period in which he can build an effective portfolio. However, now that he is in year 12, he has pulled back a little to ensure he has time to study. “I am planning on working in the industry for a long time but I need to balance it with my schooling.”

It’s sometimes difficult to remember that Jayson is just 16 when he talks about business plans and marketing, and he appears comfortable networking with adults who are far more experienced than he is.

“I’ve always been interested in the business side. I taught myself SEO (search engine optimisation) and applied what I knew to my website. I’ve attended conferences for small business owners, and I do all my own paperwork.”

He insists that he takes time out to just be a teenager.
“I’d say I live half in the world of my photography business, and the other as a normal, everyday teenager.”

Story by Rachel Goodchild
Photo by Peter James Quinn

Week two

Inspirational Poem

Everything Will Fall into Place

Life is like a giant puzzle.
Each of us has a picture in our minds of how our lives will turn out………….

We keep adding pieces to the puzzle, one at a time,
attempting to create that beautiful picture.
If one piece does not fit, we replace it with another.
We never get all the pieces in the right place on the first try.
It’s all about experimenting until each piece fits together with the next.

Though our futures may not be clear or turn out exactly as we expected,
each of us has the strength inside to put the puzzle together.
We just have to look for the right pieces.
It may seem impossible, keep striving.
Life’s pieces have a way of falling into place when you least expect it.

- Renee M. Brtalik

Today the kids made jigsaws of what they value in their lives - they chose their own way of displaying these, some choosing to write quotes, others, pictures and others a combination of both. We talked about how sometimes things happen that make pieces of the puzzle fall off and then they can be put back together again. We allso talked about the fact that sometimes a piece of the puzzle may always be missing, but it doesn't mean we can't have memories of that piece. This was a powerful way of visualising how life's pieces are put together and everyone's puzzle is different.

Here are some puzzles in progress and some finished:

Week three

Inspirational Story

This story is excellent for discussing honesty and persistence. The kids recorded the habits of mind Ling would have needed to use in order for him to be named the new Emperor.
The Emperor's Seed
An emperor in the Far East was growing old and knew it was time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or his children, he decided something different.
He called young people in the kingdom together one day. He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you."
The kids were shocked! But the emperor continued. "I am going to give each one of you a seed today, one very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next emperor!"
One boy named Ling was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly told his mother the story. She helped him get a pot and planting soil, and he planted the seed and watered it carefully.
Every day he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about 3 weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Ling kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks went by. Still nothing.
By now, others were talking about their plants but Ling didn't have a plant, and he felt like a failure. 6 months went by; still nothing in Ling's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing.
Ling didn't say anything to his friends. He just kept waiting for his seed to grow. A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection.
Ling told his mother that he wasn't going to take an empty pot but his Mother said he must be honest about what happened. Ling felt sick to his stomach, but he knew his Mother was right.
He took his empty pot to the palace. When Ling arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other youths. They were beautiful, in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other kinds laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him and just said, "Hey nice try."
When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. Ling just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the emperor. "Today, one of you will be appointed the next emperor!"
All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified. "The emperor knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!"
When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. "My name is Ling," he replied. All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. The emperor asked everyone to quiet down.
He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd, "Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!" Ling couldn't believe it. Ling couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new emperor?
Then the emperor said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds, which would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you.
Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor!"
If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.
If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.
If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.
If you plant perseverance, you will reap victory.
If you plant consideration, you will reap harmony.
If you plant hard work, you will reap success.
If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.
If you plant openness, you will reap intimacy.
If you plant patience, you will reap improvements.
If you plant faith, you will reap miracles.
But:
If you plant dishonesty, you will reap distrust.
If you plant selfishness, you will reap loneliness.
If you plant pride, you will reap destruction.
If you plant envy, you will reap trouble.

If you plant laziness, you will reap stagnation.
If you plant bitterness, you will reap isolation.
If you plant greed, you will reap loss.
If you plant gossip, you will reap enemies.
If you plant worries, you will reap wrinkles.
If you plant sin, you will reap guilt.
So be careful what you plant now, it will determine what you will reap tomorrow.
The seeds you now scatter will make life worse or better your life or the ones who will come after. Yes, someday, you will enjoy the fruits, or you will pay for the choices you plant today.
~ Author Unknown ~

Habits of Mind Used

Sometimes the kids try to fit all of the habits of mind into a scenario, but they don't always fit. This often causes them to try and fit one in even if it doesn't really make sense! I think that in this story they had some very valid points when considering the habits of mind. Here are the ones they mostly agreed on - each one taken from the work of different kids:

Persistence: Persisting is one of the HOM that Ling would have used as he kept on trying to get his seed to grow even though it didn't seem to want to grow. He might have tried lots of solutions to the problem.	Managing Impulsivity: Ling managed his impulsivity because he saw all of the other youths successfully growing their plants. He could have gone off and bought a plant to grow or a new seed but he chose not to.	Listening to Others - With Understanding and Empathy: Ling listened intently to his mother and chose to go and see the king even though he thought he might be in trouble.	Metacognition: Although Ling wasn't quite sure what might happen to him and he was a little unwilling to go to the Emperor with his empty pot, he had a clear idea of what his actions were and how he would be seen.
Striving for Accuracy and Precision: Ling tried many ways to make his plant grow. He strived to have it as accurate as the others and he only stopped working on making it grow when it was time to take the seed back to the Emperor.	Questioning and Posing Problems: I think that Ling would have had to ask himself some tricky questions so that he could work out why his seed wasn't growing. Maybe he didn't find the answer!	Thinking and Communicating with Clarity and Precision: Ling would have had to explain himself clearly to the Emperor when he noticed that Ling's seed hadn't grown.	Gathering Data Through All Senses: Ling would have watched the other plants growing and he would have tried to use his hands to make his seed grow. He wouldn't have just sat back and hoped it would grow without getting his hands dirty.
Responding with Wonderment and Awe: Ling would have tried to learn from the others who had success in growing their seeds. He would have wondered why his wasn't growing and looked on in awe at the other ones.	Taking Responsible Risks: I am not sure that this was a responsible risk, but taking his empty pot to the Emperor sure was a risk! He also took a risk by not being afraid to give it a go even though he didn't know the seed was boiled.	Thinking Interdependently: Ling and his mother worked together to make the seed grow and in the end both of them working together made Ling the new Emperor!	Habits of Mind - Art Costa

Week four

This week for Affective, we talked about what we can do to make a difference. This discussion came from the following story:

Inspirational Story

The Starfish by Loren Eisley:

I awoke early, as I often did, just before sunrise to walk by the ocean's edge and greet the new day. As I moved through the
mist, I focused on a faint, far away motion. I saw a youth, bending and reaching and flailing arms, dancing on the beach, no doubt in celebration of the perfect day soon to begin.

As approached, I sadly realized that the youth was not dancing to the bay, but rather bending to sift through the debris left by the night's tide, stopping now and then to pick up a starfish and then standing, to heave it back into the sea. I asked the youth the purpose of the effort. "The tide has washed the starfish onto the beach and they cannot return to the sea by themselves," the youth replied. "When the sun rises, they will die, unless I throw them back to the sea."

As the youth explained, I surveyed the vast expanse of beach, stretcching in both directions beyond my sight. Starfish littered the shore in numbers beyond calculation. The hopelessness of the youth's plan became clear to me and I countered, "But there are more starfish on this beach than you can ever save before the sun is up. Surely you cannot expect to make a difference."
The youth paused briefly to consider my words, bent to pick up a starfish and threw it as far as possible. Turning to me he simply said, "I made a difference to that one."

I left the boy and went home, deep in thought of what the boy had said. I returned to the beach and spent the rest of the day helping the boy throw starfish in to the sea.

The kids were inspired by this story and many of their own stories came out about what they had done to make a difference, from rescue stories to stories of those raising money through living in a cardboard box for a day and World Vision. We brainstormed places around the community where we might be able to make a difference and our task now is to get out there and find the places that would be prepared for us to help. If anyone knows of places where we could be involved in community service, please let us know.

Also as part of our self-awareness theme, this week we started to look at David Hockney pictures made from mosaics of photos of people. The Northern Wairoa kids made their first attempt at making the mosaics and the Tikipunga kids took their photos but unfortunately the ink ran out in the printer, therefore they will have to wait until next week!

Week five

This week we had a visit from our CEO, Deb Clark on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Our theme for this week was about making good choices. The inspirational story was one that really caught the attention of many of the kids, one commenting that it is the most powerful story we have had yet.

Inspirational Story

Life is about making choices and finding humour in difficult situations!
Michael is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone asks him how he is doing, he replies, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"

He is a natural motivator. If someone is having a bad day, Michael tells them how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing his style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Michael and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"

Michael replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or ... you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or... I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or... I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.”
"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.
"Yes, it is," Michael said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life."

I reflected on what Michael said. Soon hereafter, I lost touch with Michael, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reactingto it.

Several years later, I heard that Michael was involved in a serious accident. He had fallen 6 stories onto concrete. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw Michael about six months after the accident.

When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?"
I did asked him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.
"The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my family," Michael replied.
"Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or... I could choose to die. I chose to live."
"Weren't you scared?" I asked.
Michael continued, "... the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'. I knew I needed to take action."
"What did you do?" I asked.
"Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Michael.
"She asked if I was allergic to anything.
'Yes, I replied.'
The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity'."
Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead!"

MORAL OF THE STORY:
Michael lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything. LIFE IS ABOUT THE LITTLE CHOICES WE MAKE EVERY DAY !

After the reading and discussion, we looked at how we see ourselves and used the 6 thinking hats to think about us as individuals. The thinking hats are another tool developed for use in business but great for the kids to use to help them think with more scope and it encourages parallel thinking. See explanation by clicking on this link (one of many websites, but this one explains them well. - Thinking Hats For some students, this was the first time they had used the hats, and they found them challenging and thought provoking. This is the task they undertook:

CRITICAL THINKING about : ME

DIRECTING OUR THINKING WITH DE BONO’S “6 THINKING HATS'

White Hat What are some facts about you? Red Hat How do you feel about yourself? Yellow Hat What are some good points about you? Black Hat What are some possible things you would like to change about yourself? Green Hat What are some ways you could solve the changes you would like to make? Blue Hat Use this hat to make a realistic goal for yourself to achieve in your life at the moment. How will you know when you have reached that goal?

Week six

Our inspirational stories this week came from the Readers' Digest, which had a number of stories about the goodness of being kind. The stories were from New Zealanders who had acts of kindness shown to them, including Antonia Prebble who played Loretta West on Outrageous Fortune. She had become lost whilst exploring the 165 hectares of Hagley Park and a kind couple took her home. The articles concluded with a story about the Butterfly Effect, which was coined in a 1957 film. These stories helped the kids to come up with ideas about doing random acts of kindness which they are now plotting. We have talked about how to make sure the situation is safe before going in to help people. Watch this space for random acts of kindness which will be happening within the next few weeks.

Week seven

The inspirational story this week is a sad/happy/sad story to make the kids think about the way people treat each other. This is about a disabled boy in America who is out with his father when he spots some other kids playing baseball........

Inspirational Story

Now read on..
Everyone can play
At a fundraising dinner for an American school that serves learning disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:
"When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?" The audience was stilled by the query.
The father continued. "I believe, that when a child like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes, in the way other people treat that child.”
Then he told the following story:
Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they'll let me play?" Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play, not expecting much. The boy looked around for guidance and said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning."
Shay struggled over to the team's bench put on a team shirt with a broad smile and his Father had a small tear in his eye and warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field.
Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.
At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.
However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing the other team putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.
The game would now be over, but the pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.
Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the head of the first baseman, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run to first!" Never in his life had Shay ever ran that far but made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.
Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!" Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to second base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball, the smallest guy on their team, who had a chance to be the hero for his team for the first time. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions and he too intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.
All were screaming, "Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay" Shay reached third base, the opposing shortstop ran to help him and turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third! Shay, run to third" As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams and those watching were on their feet were screaming, "Shay, run home! Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the "grand slam" and won the game for his team.
That day, said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world. Shay didn't make it to another summer and died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy and coming home and seeing his mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

On reflection, Tania wrote:
Everyone is a human being, so everyone should get the chance seeing the joy in the face when everyone cheers you on in a race.
It's a horrible feeling to be put down, you feel like you're dragging on the ground.
That moment when you made that person happy, makes you feel a little zappy
Being able to play ball
The excitement when your name is called!

Freedom is.....

We then moved on to a Philosophy for Children session about freedom and related it back to Shay's story.

Which parts of Shay's story related to freedom? was the starting question.

Here are some of the definitions the kids then wrote about what they believe freedom is......

Cool Flash Comments	Campbell wrote: Freedom is: Not being bossed around Being able to do anything You own yourself not anyone else You can't have complete freedom because you won't be free from freedom!	James wrote: Freedom is having responsibility to do anything you want but to still obey the laws of the world.	Benny wrote: Freedom is the ability to do whatever you want without somebody saying, "NO!"
Luke S (Tikipunga) wrote: Freedom is having rights. Having the right to be heard, to be more than just a face in the crowd, to not be trapped, not imprisoned inside the walls of humanity! What can we accomplish while stuck inside walls? Freedom is breaking out of those walls and actually BEING somebody! Everyone deserves to be free and freedom is a gift. A gift beyond comprehension! All you have to do is reach out and accept that gift. You deserve to be heard, so just reach out and accept that gift of sweet freedom. (Luke would like you to know that the statement came out of his head!)	Tae wrote: Freedom is when there are no boundaries. you have control on what you want to do. Freedom can also have a negative side. Say you're freed from jail, but see that's freedom to yourself but it might not be to others. If he was a murderer who got released, he would have freedom but the family or friends of the victims would feel scared and always have to do things to keep safe.	Anna wrote: What is freedom? Being able to have choice Being able to do what you want Not having a boss to tell you what to do Having no rules to stick by Having more than one opportunity Shay had the freedom of playing a game of baseball and forgetting about his disability.	Nathan wrote: What is freedom? Being free, not being held back and when no-one can stop you. Not being held back by cages, like animals are.
Caitlin (Tikipunga) wrote: Freedom is .....being creative, having your own rules and being given the freedom of doing something you're not usually allowed to do.	Ben wrote: Freedom is being able to follow ones will, without anyone trying to stop you. Freedom is doing the most wanted by one and never having to do what one never has a willing mind to do. Complete freedom is impossible, for, once gained, one will never have the freedom from freedom.	Emma wrote: Freedom is your own world where you have nobody to bother you. You can do whatever you like. Freedom is a no-rules world.

Week eight

This week the Dargaville kids were on a trip but unfortunately the weather turned nasty on Thursday and so the Tikipunga kids had class as normal - unfortunately about the weather, not the kids!!

Our inpirational story this week was to do with values and what we value in others. We talked about tangible and intangible values and what those mean. Can some things be tangible and intangible values at the same time?

Inspirational Story

This story is just lovely and precious:



Custom Glitter Text

• A young man learns what's most important in life from the guy next door. It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.
• 
  
• Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.
• 
  
• "Jack, did you hear me?"

"Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack
said.

"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over
this side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.

"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.

"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said.

"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me
things he thought were important...Mom, I'll be there for the funeral,"Jack said.

As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He
had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.
The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time. Standing in
the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing

• over into another dimension, a leap through space and time. The house

• was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture,

• every piece of furniture....Jack stopped suddenly.

• "What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.

• "The box is gone," he said.

• "What box? " Mom asked.

• "There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I

• must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell

• me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said.

• It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered

• it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had

• taken it.

• "Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better

• get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."

• It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from

• work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required

• on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within

• the next three days," the note read.

• Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and

• looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was

• difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention.

• "Mr. Harold Belser" it read.

• Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There

• inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read

• the note inside.

• "Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack

• Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped

• to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack

• carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold

• pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing,

• he unlatched the cover.

• Inside he found these words engraved: "Jack, Thanks for your time!

• Harold Belser."

• "The thing he valued most...was...my time."

• Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and

• cleared his appointments for the next two days. "Why?" Janet, his

• assistant asked.

• "I need some time to spend with my son," he said.

• "Oh, by the way, Janet...thanks for your time!"

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